Which to use
“alcanzaba” and “alcanzaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,749
- “alcanzaba” frequency rank
- #39,037
- “alcanzaban” frequency rank
- 55786
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alcanzaba | alcanzaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de alcanzar o de alcanzarse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de alcanzar. |
Where the eye mixes alcanzaba and alcanzaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. alcanzaba runs 9 letters (VCCVCCVCV) against alcanzaban's 10 (VCCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: alcanzaba vs alcanzaban
A purely visual mix-up. alcanzaba ([alkãnˈsaβ̞a]) and alcanzaban ([alkãnˈsaβ̞ãn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “alcanzaba” sits inside “alcanzaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55786, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
alcanzaba is recorded at frequency rank #16,749, classified as averb, pronounced [alkãnˈsaβ̞a]. alcanzaban is at rank #39,037, tagged as averb, pronounced [alkãnˈsaβ̞ãn].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 55786, this pair ranks #77,346 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of alcanzaba vs alcanzaban
Shared letters: abclnz. Private to "alcanzaba": -. Private to "alcanzaban": -.
"alcanzaba" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCV · "alcanzaban" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- alcanzaba ← aclanzaba · alacnzaba · alcanazba · alcannzaba · alcanzaab · alcanzabba · alcanzava · alcanzbaa
- alcanzaban ← aclanzaban · alacnzaban · alcanazban · alcannzaban · alcanzaabn · alcanzabann · alcanzabban · alcanzabna
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "alcanzaba" and "alcanzaban" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "alcanzaba" vs "alcanzaban" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "alcanzaba" and "alcanzaban" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "alcanzaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "alcanzaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #77,346 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "alcanzaba" and "alcanzaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "alcanzaban vs alcanzarán". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #77,346 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.